KUCHING: Political Secretary to the Premier, Kho Teck Wan, has criticised Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen for urging the Sarawak government to abandon its plans for a new airport in Tanjung Embang in favour of expanding Kuching International Airport (KIA).
Kho described Chong’s suggestion as unreasonable, pointing out that the proposed RM100 million KIA expansion is still awaiting federal approval and depends on the availability of funds.
“It is misleading to claim that KIA is underutilised simply because it does not regularly accommodate jumbo jets or because its runway is slightly shorter than KLIA. The real measure is passenger traffic and the fact are KIA has already exceeded its design capacity of five million passengers per annum,” Kho said.
She noted that KIA recorded 5.96 million passengers in 2019, surpassing its design capacity by nearly one million. In 2023, the airport handled 5.33 million passengers, while in 2024, the figure reached an estimated 5.38 million.
“Without expansion or a new facility, congestion will only worsen as passenger numbers rise,” she stressed.
Kho explained that upgrading KIA should not be viewed as a substitute for the new airport but rather as a parallel initiative.
“The new airport at Tanjung Embang will not be ready immediately, but its strategic location next to the upcoming deep-sea port will provide superior logistics, cargo handling, and multimodal transport integration benefits that an upgrade of KIA alone cannot achieve,” she said.
She added that the ongoing feasibility study for the Tanjung Embang project demonstrates the Sarawak government’s careful fiscal planning and due diligence.
“Airports are economic engines that stimulate trade, tourism, investment, and job creation. Dubai International Airport, for example, contributes about 27 per cent of Dubai’s GDP and supports more than 250,000 jobs. Sarawak deserves infrastructure that can create similar opportunities. Doesn’t YB Chong want to see Sarawak progress and prosper?” Kho asked.
Kho also urged Chong to prove his sincerity by supporting KIA’s expansion while ensuring his federal constituency allocations are fully utilised for Kuching’s infrastructure development.
“As the Member of Parliament for Stampin, it is his responsibility to fight for infrastructure projects, including upgrading an airport that is nearly 20 years old. Since he has called for funds to be channelled into drains, roads, and streetlights, I hope he will also lead by example by prioritising these projects with his allocations,” she said.
By Connie Chieng